Expo-se

Expo-se

I don’t know about you, but there’s been a few times now (thinking Japan and Grand Cayman in particular), when I’ve gone to a travel agent to grab some brochures about a prospective destination, only to be told ‘yeah sorry, we don’t really have anything for that destination’. Which stuns me, because I thought it was their job to provide stuff like this, and if they couldn’t, then at least offer to obtain what you’re looking forward. But whatever…

There is an exception to this rule and it’s called visiting a travel expo. No shortage of travel brochures here! I was told by several travel agents that not a lot of Australians travel to Japan (???). But when I attended an expo before my first trip to the land of the rising sun, there was a whole booth dedicated to Japan and – lo and behold – an expert that gave us some great pieces of advice – one of which was that you need to spend at least two nights in Takayama (FYI – we did take this advice and were extremely grateful we did!).

And, don’t forget you can usually pick up some great deals too. I just paid a deposit for one of my upcoming trips and was delighted to find myself the recipient of an ‘expo discount’ – which gave me a saving of about $300! The expo was held today and given that it covers ‘the area’ of one of my upcoming trips (ah, these secrets are killing me!), off I went to grab myself as many brochures as I could carry.

Travel expos are a great way to find out information about your upcoming travel destination. Aside from the brochures (and we all know he with the most brochures wins!), there are experts on hand to give you information, hints and tips, theatrette presentations on different topics and, let’s not forget, most importantly, special deals and discounts. And it’s not just a room full of travel agents – there are stalls for different airlines, luggage specialists, tour companies, car hire companies, insurance companies and banking products. It’s a great way to find out what’s out there, and what suits you and your way of travelling.

I’ve now got a host of glossy pics to pour over with a good cuppa so I can make sure that I’m including a host of fabulous sights and experiences on my trip.